


Room of Decision

by feshnie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Amnesiac Eren, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Out of Character, Reincarnation, younger Levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-09 22:37:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feshnie/pseuds/feshnie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That dream was haunting you again. You never understood the significance of it but it was terrifying and saddening. Always, you wondered if you and this Eren survived but again, you shook the thought away because it was just a stupid dream and Eren wasn’t real.</p><p>Except it happened that Eren was very much real.</p><p>This is a reincarnation story in Levi's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Glad I Met You

_Steam rushed out from a gash under your feet as the monster beneath you dissolved into thin air. There were still a lot of them to take down and you were already down to your last blade. For a moment you wondered if this was finally it. Your long life of fighting to survive will come to a close. No matter what, you want desperately, defiantly, to go out with everything you’ve got; to bathe in the blood of these beasts before they have the chance to tear into your flesh._

_You swung your blade in front of you, preparing to dive into your final attack before a large hand tore the air behind you and punched the beast off its legs. You look up, nearly disgusted with the feeling of hope that bubbled in you as you turned and pulled the trigger on the hilt of your blade. Two wires shot from the piston around your waist and its grapple hooks embedded into tan muscles._

_Again, you pressed the trigger and the wires retracted. Pressing another shoots gas from behind and propels you towards the location you aimed. With some careful manoeuvring, you manage to land on a head of dark locks._

_“Eren!” you shouted, taking hold of a few strands of his hair. “You’re at your limit! Cast these pieces of shit away and fall back now!”_

_Your ride nodded, jostling you roughly before it gave a giant roar and its force somehow drove the other giants to run in the opposite direction. Eren staggered a bit before turning away and trudging heavily towards the walls._

_Barely 5 steps were made before he collapses, knee first to the ground. You manage to jump off his head and used the trees to bring you to the ground safely. You didn’t waste another second to jump onto the monstrous back and slash through the skin behind his neck. Unlike when they did the experiments and had to forcefully cut Eren out, he popped out, looking mostly intact. You carefully collected the boy into your arms and tugged against the flesh that still clung to the boy’s skin._

_“Eren,” you called out, looking for any signs of life in him. You felt for a pulse at his wrist and feel it very faintly under your fingers._

_“You’re safe, huh,” you breathed out in relief. You swipe sweat-soaked hair away from his eyes before arranging him in your arms, ready to carry him away from the harsh battlefield. You hoped that the smoke coming out of his titan carcass will alert any soldiers nearby._

_The ground trembled and your heart plummeted._

_A hideous looking giant was heading towards you and you had a brat in your arms._

_‘Eren. I’m sorry.’_

You wake up drenched in sweat.

That dream was haunting you again. You never understood the significance of it but it was terrifying and saddening. Always, you wondered if you and this Eren survived but again, you shook the thought away because it was just a stupid dream and Eren wasn’t real.

You sighed heavily before sitting up and making your way to the bathroom.

\---

Except it happened that Eren was very much real.

You knew you were staring very rudely at the man in front of you but you can’t help it. He had just introduced himself as Eren Yeager and you know deep down with too many confusing familiarity that this man in front of you was the Eren that had popped out from the back of the monster’s neck and whom you had held tenderly in the final moments of your life.

It was so terrifying that the moment you met with Eren again was the moment you came to the realization that those dreams had been memories of your past life right before you died. It was like your beginning here was the ultimate end of those two.

“Is there…something on my face?” Eren asked good-naturedly, his held out hand still offering you his acquaintanceship. You felt a stutter on your lips but your hand quickly slipped into his and you both shared two shakes before parting. It was electrifying in a way to finally touch Eren.

“So, Levi – can I call you that?” Eren started and you nodded mutely, relieved in a way. You felt if he had called you with your family name, it would sound strange – awkward even. “Levi, then. I just moved in across the hallway. You’re welcome to stop by some time if you’re free. I heard from the others that you’re a photographer. I’m opening a bakery two streets from here and could use your skills.”

You felt tongue-tied and imagined that to Eren you must look ridiculous. You tried to cough it away and not show how much shaken you are by his presence.

“Yeah. I’m – I’m happy to help,” you replied lamely. Eren sent you a smile and you wanted to melt.

In those nightmares, you never really noticed how Eren looked like. You just had a gut feeling that he was important to you and that he was a kid – a brat under your command and protection. This Eren in front of you was handsome and charming.

You couldn’t help it.

“Eren, do you remember me?”

\---

The Yeager Bakery was a family business and Eren was expanding the brand’s reach. That was why he had decided to open up shop there and was looking for some way to pull in new customers. Despite the awkward introduction, the both of you hit it off well since then and more and more you were able to get to know this Eren.

Eren was apparently 2 years older than you now and had suffered amnesia a few years ago. When you had blurted out the question, he didn’t seem too surprised by it and only very sorry. He had to explain his condition to you and apologized for something he can’t help being.  You were only too quick to describe your rather phenomenal situation in regards to him and said that maybe it was you who was going crazy.

He was surprisingly accepting of the idea that he and you were lovers in a past life and that maybe if he still had his memories, he would be dreaming of the same thing. You wondered where the two of you stood now. For despite being lovers in a different time, you were basically strangers to each other.

Eren smiled then and you felt your heart turn to warm butter.

That was where your current problem lay. You were inviolably in love with one Eren Yeager and to him you were nothing but a friend. A close friend that he expressed with confidence his deepest thoughts to but without a doubt just a friend.

Today was Christmas and also your birthday. Eren had been very busy with his bakery that he couldn’t make time to return and celebrate with his family. Due to that, you were going to celebrate Christmas together in his apartment that night.

You watched Eren prepare the Christmas dinner for two in silence and considered telling him that it was your birthday today. You’ve grown used to not celebrating it because people were more often celebrating Christ born on this day than appreciating that you were too. More often than not, around this time, people hired you to take photos of corporate parties or big Christmas events. Still, there was a part of you that hoped that tonight would be a night about you.

When Eren called you to the table, you decided against telling him anyway because as your birthday or not, you were still able to celebrate it with the one you love and that was more than enough. You take a second to thank Christ for that. Eren disappeared into the kitchen when you took a seat and suddenly the lights in his apartment went out.

“It’s alright! Might just be the main fuse. Just stay there, Levi,” Eren called out from the kitchen. You gave him a feeble okay before settling back in your chair. Just when you noticed the heater’s humming and thought how strange that was despite the power outage, orange light danced across the wall and Eren emerged from the kitchen with a cake in his hands and five lit candles on top.

You felt tears behind your eyelids, clouding your vision as the cake was placed in front of you. Red and green icing on the cake read Happy Birthday Levi in the most perfect cursive letters you had ever seen.

You had to look away for fear the tears would fall but Eren caught your eyes with his magnificent smile and you sob pathetically.

“Happy Birthday, Levi,” Eren said gently, as if scared to break the bubble that enveloped the room. You brushed the tears away before they had a chance to fall and blew out your candles.

Your soft sniffling filled the place as Eren went to turn the lights back on again. When he was close enough, you touched his hand and thanked him as if he had saved your life from a burning building. He only laughed before the two of you dug in.

\---

On New Year’s Eve, he took you back home with him to meet his family. You were introduced as a friend and got to know the uncle and aunt who had raised him. Just like you, Eren had lost his parents. However, unlike you who lost your parents later in your life when you have already found your place in society, Eren never knew his parents. He had grown up completely under the care of his relatives. They were really friendly folks though and you can’t help but be happy that Eren grew up in such a loving family as he had.

You were sad to find out that due to a fire accident, most of Eren’s childhood belongings were gone and soon after that he had lost his memories. With not much to refer to except for stories of himself, Eren had to start completely fresh. He didn’t look too affected by it even when he relayed the story to you but out of courtesy, you didn’t pry him about it.

His family took you to a local party that you were too embarrassed to tell them how bad you were about dealing with people in celebrations like that. In the end, you took a lot of photos and tried to stick as close to Eren as you possibly could.

At eleven, Eren pulled you away and drove you to a special place he liked to call his hideout. It was a cliff overlooking a portion of the town and hidden from the road by trees and bushes. He had discovered the place early after waking up with Amnesia and used it whenever he needed to be alone.

There, Eren revealed that it was hard for him at first to accept the fact that he knew all these strangers that kept coming to visit him. He was so confused and scared that sometimes he just had to run away to be by himself. Gradually he got used to it but it still hurt and felt confused when they talked of memories that he was in as if he remembered. As if they expected him to remember.

He admitted that he moved away to start over for good. He was glad that his uncle and aunt were supportive of his decision and helped him set up his house and his shop.

You listened to him attentively. The feel of his fingers closing around your hand gave you a start but then he turned to you and smiled contentedly.

“I’m glad I met you that day,” he said. There was a loud sound in your ears, your face felt warm and your stomach churned painfully. It was hard to breathe at that moment and your fingers curled around his. “For a moment, I had been scared that you would be like them but when you told me about how we were connected in a past life, I wanted to believe in that. In a way, you were starting over as well, weren’t you? _We_ started over.”

You could feel your body shaking as you held tightly on his hand, heart beating painfully against your chest and you just had to tell him.

“I love you,” you bit out through the part of you that tried to reason with you about how bad the idea was. Once those words were out, it was like a dam had broken and you felt yourself talking, babbling everything you had ever wanted to tell him when you looked into his eyes, when you shared smiles, when your fingers intentionally brushed each other, when you whispered to each other in the crowded morning train.

You found yourself gasping for air when he pulled you into his embrace and you stood there panting in his arms for what felt like a long time before he pulled away and pressed his forehead to yours. You could see the shine of tears in his eyes and the tight press of his lips that was holding back a grin. He pulled you close again and whispered feverishly in your ears.

“Me too. Me too. I love you so much. I loved you for so long. So, so much.”

And you cried.

Clutching each other tightly, both of you slipped to kneel on the ground, shoulders shaking with sobs and giggles and you felt so relieved and tired. Both of you finally sat on the dirt, cuddling together, sharing each other’s warmth and calming yourselves down. You were wiping the tears from your lashes before they turned to ice when fireworks shot and exploded in the sky.

“I completely forgot that it was New Year’s Eve,” Eren laughed. He turned to you and smiled serenely, making your heart jump to your throat. You knew what he was expecting and only too eager to give it to him.

Your first kiss was filled with breathy giggles and sniffles but it was the best New Year you had ever had.

\---

Both of you still continued to stay at your own apartments on the same level. While Eren’s bakery was getting a pretty slow start, he had inherited enough money to live a decent life. His late father was apparently a very rich doctor and played with stocks and real estate in his life. Eren didn’t want to say it but you knew he was actually filthy rich and that he was running a bakery just to have something to do.

You, on the other hand, still struggled with getting jobs. You had money to save you for the next 2 months or so but your equipment still needed maintenance and there were things you needed to replace. Eren tried to help you wherever he can, promoting  you to his friends or any customers of his that looked like they might need a photographer and you’re really grateful for that. You wished you could do something for him in return but he paid you with a big tip when you helped him take pictures of his cake and bread for his store.

On dates outside together, which were very few and far in-between, you mostly go to simple and cheap places; Mostly new cafes or to the movies. Both of you preferred to stay at each other’s house whenever you can because Eren has work every weekday and you’re often gone for days.

It was late February when Eren was lounging in your house in his boxers at 10PM that you felt the sudden desire to take a picture of him. Maybe it was the new haircut he had gotten that made him looks so young and charming and the way it was mused against your turquoise pillow. Or maybe it was because you were cleaning your camera’s lenses and your finger was itching to press on the shutter button.

Eren, himself, looked ready to be consumed by the fatigue of a good day’s work. One of his customers had shared his bread at her workplace so word was spreading about how good it was and customers were coming in to have a taste of what else he can offer. You were happy to hear that and made him some muffin in a mug – which he had taught you – to celebrate.

Sneakily, you slip on the floor and pulled the viewfinder to your eye. Your left hand cups the camera carefully to steady it and your right pointing finger pressed gently on the shutter release button. The lens focused on his face. The soft whirring of the lens made you tense, afraid Eren will notice you but he doesn’t. You finally press it fully and the sound of the shutter pulls his attention to you.

You could only smile sheepishly as his questioning eyes bore into yours.

“Something to keep me company when I’m away.”

\---

One picture became ten and soon it became fifty but the more pictures of Eren you took, the more he got used to it and soon it became as natural as a habit to whip out your camera and take pictures of him.

Eren bought a DSLR camera just to take photos of you but he was not as good as you. It was only expected considering he doesn’t have the same passion as you do but he still frowned and knotted his eyebrows when he compared the pictures he took with yours. You kissed him between those brows and down to his lips every time and reassure him that he is as bad at taking pictures as you are bad at baking a simple bread bun on your own.

He will fight the smile on his face when he remembers how you nearly made his oven explode when you tried to bake bread for his birthday in secret. You know you will never be able to live that down but for him you don’t mind.

As long as he’s happy because his happiness is your happiness.

\---

That year’s Easter Sunday was celebrated at your hometown with Eren. You didn’t have any family left, only an aunt from your mother’s side who lived in Brandenburg, Germany. You haven’t kept in contact with her for so long that you wouldn’t be surprised if she could no longer remember you.

You took him to your old house that you inherited from your parents. With your permission and a monthly rent of less than half of what you should ask for, your neighbour’s son lived there with his family of three. He was truly grateful to you and whenever you returned, you would have a room to stay in for as long as you like.

Eren seemed proud of your kindness and that made you embarrassed for some reason. He held you tenderly that night and played your body just the way you like it.

The next day, on Easter Sunday, you took him to the meadow you used to play in with the other kids. It was used on that day for kids to hunt for chocolate eggs so you couldn’t really show him around. You introduced him to the local priest and your schoolteacher who wasted no time in telling Eren how much of a great student you were even though you couldn’t always keep up with the lessons. Your cheeks blazed all the way back and you doubt your decision to come back with Eren.

He dissuades those doubts with a long and tender makeout session in the sunflower fields of one of your elderly neighbours.

\---

When April arrived, you woke up with a warm arm around your torso and a tickle on your nape. You thought nothing of it until at noon when you’re on your way to a client’s house and you’re sitting alone with your phone in your hands in the subway, scrolling through pictures of him you transferred. You’re staring at a picture of him you took the night before and the next picture is the first picture you took of him on that night with the turquoise pillows. You notice that he hadn’t cut his hair and it was growing past his ears.

He was charming none the less.

You checked the next picture that you took on his balcony one night and he was giving you a sultry look. His bangs were mused and his wet hair clung to his cheeks and neck. You breathed in deeply, tucking your phone away and trying not to think about the things that happened after that picture was taken.

It did make you curious how he would look like with his hair long so when you came back home the day after, you went straight to his bakery. It was nearly closing time so after buying some bread and sitting down at a table outside the bakery, you waited for Eren.

Eren’s workers left first, greeting you by the way and it was half an hour later that Eren came out and the two of you made your way back, only stopping by a shop to buy some food for dinner.

“Your hair’s getting long,” you stated when both of you had settled on the sofa after dinner and you were playing with his hair. Eren gave a light snort and looked up at you from his position in your lap.

“You don’t like it?” he asked playfully, taking the hand in his hair and kissing your knuckles.

“I really like it actually,” you replied, your free hand tucking his bangs to the left. “Maybe you should grow it out.”

“Mhm. Will you love me more if I do?”

“I already love you too much.”

\---

When you first had those nightmares, the thing you vividly remembered of was thinking about wings. Wings that you had thought were supposed to free you ended up chaining you. Wading through those strong and desperate emotions that meant absolutely nothing to you was tiring. You kept thinking that wings would always mean freedom and you fought relentlessly with your nightmares to prove that.

It was on a trip with your father that you saw a locket of a black wing and you immediately bought it along with a chain and hung it around your neck proudly. Your father was bemused but didn’t say anything about it. When you returned home your mother seemed concerned because you had never been the kind to wear any accessories, not even watches. That night, you dreamed again that those wings chained you up but you remembered Eren’s strong will and you began to believe that those wings can release you.

Back in the present, Eren had asked you about the locket before you were dating. You told him truthfully about the feelings that the old Levi had and how he had good faith that the old Eren would be able to break the chains. You choked up at that point when you realized that the old Eren didn’t manage to before they died.

Currently, you and Eren are staring flabbergasted at the display of lockets in an accessory shop because one of it had a wing design nearly similar to yours and it was white in colour. You couldn’t even manage a word out before Eren was running inside the shop and buying the locket for himself.

That night, you had the camera set on a tripod and took a picture of both you and Eren and your matching lockets. Eren kissed you long and hard when both of you were finally in bed with only an article of clothing left on each other.

“Remember what you told me about those wings that were chained up?” Eren asked breathlessly, your faces too close and just _why aren’t we kissing already_. “These wings, they’re now our Wings of Freedom. We’ll give those two the freedom they wanted.”

You practically hurl yourself on Eren in your happiness.

\---

There was a feeling in your gut that you didn’t want to part with Eren that morning. His aunt had fallen ill so he was going to visit her. He had taken a few days off, putting his bakery in the temporary hands of his workers. You promised him that you’ll check on them in the evening and give him a report on it. He laughed and kissed your cheek before he was out the door.

For nearly an hour you stared at his coffee mug with an unsettling feeling in your gut.

It rained in the evening and you went to check on his bakery like he promised. The person working the cash register was a new worker, just 2 weeks in and she was all smiles and correct changes. Eren spoke highly of her but then again he spoke highly of all his staff. Eren was very picky when it came to hiring people so you’re not surprised that the people he does hire tended to be very capable.

The workers greeted you familiarly and you bought a piece of bread and sat down as usual until it was time to close. You left before the last person though and walked home alone, not in the mood to even stray to buy dinner.

At 9 that night, Eren called and he told you about his aunt’s condition, how it’s getting better and he should be back by your side by tomorrow evening. You told him how much you miss him and how his bakery was doing. You’re glad that he’s doing okay and this feeling in your gut is just you worried about him as usual.

The next day, however, he didn’t return. You call and text him worriedly and it wasn’t until 11PM that he sent you a message saying that he’ll be staying the night there and that he was sorry.

Your worry grew tenfold when you passed his door in the morning and saw that it was opened large, his suitcase thrown mindlessly against the wall. You tentatively stepped in, calling out his name. You found him easily enough staring blankly out the window with coffee in his hands. He turned to you, looking like he hadn’t slept for days. The coffee was placed on the sill and he shuffled over to you, throwing his arms around your shoulders and burying his face in your neck before his shoulders trembled as he cried into your shirt. You held him for a long time until the sobs subside and you managed to drag him to bed.

You locked his door and quickly straightened out whatever you can before you ran to his side. He didn’t say anything to you then and you didn’t press anything out of him. With your head on his shoulder and his arms around you, you both fell asleep together.

When you woke up, Eren was playing with your bangs and staring lifelessly at the ceiling. You eased out of his arms to bring your face closer. Carefully, you touched the bruises under his eyes from his crying and you asked him gently what had happened.

He inhaled deeply and buried his face into your chest.

“My uncle said my memories will come back to me in the future.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview:
> 
> ‘To the me of 10 years later….’ It read. The day on the right side dated 5 years ago. 
> 
>  
> 
> \---  
> And that's the first part! I intended to make this a long oneshot but the length seems to be going out of hand so have this first^^ Sorry if there are too many mistakes. It can get confusing working with this kind of POV especially since I'm not used to it.
> 
> I know that Levi is very out of character here but it's because the background he grew up in is different. He had a family and lived decently and normally. He's still quiet and awkward with humans but in a different way. He's good at what he does, just like the old Levi and I hope it doesn't make the experience of reading this any sour just because of this Levi.


	2. To the Me a Decade Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where we left off:
> 
> “My uncle said my memories will come back to me in the future.”

His uncle was no longer the same cheerful guy who had welcomed you into his house on New Year’s Eve. In Eren’s reserved presence, he looked only ashamed and small. You visited the aunt and asked her about her health. She was still very much laid up in bed but at least when you came she said she was getting strong enough to walk around the house on her own. She mentioned how happy she was that her husband was a retired man and could look after her at all times.

You wished her good health and returned to Eren’s side. He looked strange standing inside the room, looking at the old stuff as if he was a stranger. Maybe he is, you thought. Eren was rather tight lipped about what had happened when he came back but he promised you that he would tell you eventually.

Early the next morning, his uncle drove you out into the woods, down a long stretch of dirt roads and up a hill. In the distance you could spot a house, its roof nearly touching clouds. Despite the warm climate of winter welcoming the spring air, it was freezing up there. His uncle had advised you to bring something warm and you were glad he did.

The car stopped in front of the large closed up gates to the house you saw. You could see from the size that there would be a long climb before you could reach the house.

His uncle left with a promise to pick you up that evening and drove away. You followed Eren to a smaller door on the right side of the gates and he fished in his pockets for a key and a hastily written note filled with instructions and locations. It came out with a tinkle of metal on metal and you heard him give a humourless laugh.

He held out the key to you and bitterly said, “Wings of Freedom.”

Your eyes were instantly on the keychain. It was neighbours to several keys on a metal loop. The keychain had an intricate design of a white right wing overlapping a black left wing.

There were questions on your tongue but you bit them back, knowing Eren will tell you when he’s ready.

The sound of the side door opening greeted both of you and he stepped in before you.

\---

Although the nearest town at the foot of the mountain was beginning to feel the warmth of the late spring sun, you and Eren were able to feel cool breeze constantly on his house on the hills. You made sure to keep the windows open in the day and sometimes left the curtain parted at night to watch the stars.

Eren was doing much better since then. He had told you about what had happened between him and his uncle. His uncle had sat him down the morning he was supposed to be leaving and told him the truth about his memories. That he had never actually taken care of him since he was young and that his memories will return to him in a few years. You were only confused and quickly asked who had taken care of him then.

He smiled at your eagerness and held you to his chest, whispered in your ear that this was the crazy part. That he was an immortal man and he was most likely the Eren in your dreams. You thought he was joking and felt affronted that he would make light of a situation that worried you.

He told you no, he was being as painfully serious as he could ever be and you saw the sadness in his eyes. He continued to say that he won’t know the whole truth until his memories return to him but the answer most likely lay in the box of brown leather bound books he had taken out from a trapdoor in the study.

He showed you a rather empty book of similar style that his uncle had given him recently. He allowed you to read the first and only entry in the book.

‘To the me of 10 years later….’ It read. The day on the right side dated 5 years ago. ‘We’ve passed another blissful decade of forgetting. What did you experience?’

When he saw that you had finished reading, he took a deep breath and pulled a book out from the box. It was in good condition but bulged out with leaves and stamps and tickets that were taped into the pages. His past tokens, you thought to yourself.

The first entry was similar to the book you read but it dated nearly 50 years ago. On the second page he had written a long entry that stretched until nearly the end of the book. He wrote about the places he had gone to and the people he had met and the relationships he had made. You felt a pang of jealousy when he wrote of his love towards a lady that lived in the house above his apartment but it was a story that ended too early for both parties because she died in an accident while on a trip to France.

Instead of opening up a shop, he had enrolled himself into a university and studied medicine. He wrote about the achievements he had accomplished and how surprised he had gotten at how natural science had come to him. It made sense to him now, the past Eren had written. It made you realize that your Eren too, in five years, will be remembering the things he had filled up the dozens of books in the box. The good and the bad.

You closed the book in his hands and took it away from him. He was startled but said nothing.

“There was a reason you made yourself forget, Eren,” you started, taking his hand into yours and looking into his eyes. “Maybe you should follow your past example and live your fullest now. Live so meaningfully that you’ll fill up more pages than the book can offer.”

Eren stared into your eyes for a long time and finally nodded.

\---

You stayed only long enough to clear up a room for you. It was Eren’s request as he wanted to continue on with the thought that you’d stay by his side until the end. You knew he chose the word tentatively but in the end only meant until your end. There was a mixed feeling of happiness that he wanted to stick by you until you were old and crippled and sadness because it would mean he would go back to being alone.

He made plans that whenever you were ready, you both would come live here. The riches he had accumulated over his long life – as it turned out it wasn’t his father but himself that earned those treasures – would be able to feed you plenty for decades to come.

One night while he spooned you from behind on the large bed in the master bedroom, you wondered if he decided to make himself forget because he was spiralling into insanity from too many years of living. You wondered if when the time came, you’d be able to help him through it or if he would choose to make himself forget again. And in the process, forgetting you.

You chided yourself for losing faith in him so easily.

When you left the town, Eren made sure to stop by his uncle’s house to apologize for his insolence. It was clear that the decision to lose his memories was his own. That was when you found out that his uncle was a descendant of his real father, a man called Grisha Yeager. A notebook on how to prepare the medicine to make Eren forget was passed down father to son for what could possibly been 10 generations or so. Soon the responsibility would fall into the hands of his third son who was more inclined towards science.

Eren asked if the people in the town was also in on the secret but his uncle gave a light hearted laugh and said that no, Eren had actually lived in the village for a few years before he decided to lose his memories and so most everyone knew him and had memories of him.

They left on good terms and Eren promised to visit again during Christmas.

\---

It turned out your little trip to Eren’s mansion caused a lot of work to pile up and you had to deal with a rude customer who screamed over the phone about no one picking up when he called for days. You were tempted to slam the phone down but the work was a good deal and would help you a lot with something you planned to do.

Eren’s bakery also had complications with some of the equipment and had to be closed for a few days to fix it. For a week the both of you were busy getting back on your feet that you could barely even have a decent dinner together.

Saturday night had you glued to your computer, going through your client’s pictures. You had half-eaten Chinese takeaway on your table but your mouth craved for Eren’s sweet breads. Your finger was growing tired of clicking and your eyes felt heavy. You were trying to get it done that night so you could hopefully hang around Eren’s bakery all day tomorrow.

Knocks on your door nearly made your chin slip out of your palm but you pushed away from the dining table and trudged to the door. You wondered if it was your neighbour asking to borrow some mayonnaise again. Or maybe peanut butter.

Eren smiled sheepishly with his bakery’s bag in his hand and you can’t help the goofy grin that broke across your face. You noticed he had part of his hair tied back and it made him look young. Only too eagerly that you welcomed him in and before he could even take off his jacket, you hugged him tightly. He laughed softly in your ear and you let the rumble of his chest calm you.

When the breads were finished and the takeaway left cold to be thrown tomorrow, you snuggled with Eren on your sofa, half-heartedly watching the movie that played on the television. You felt his fingers play on the nape of your neck and you looked up at him. He pulled you closer and planted a kiss on the bridge of your nose.

“We’ve been so busy this week. Didn’t even get to go on a date,” he mumbled, observing your face and fingers tenderly stroking your back. “Any chance you have tomorrow free?”

“Depends,” you replied, just above a whisper, and you let your head fall back on his shoulders. “Are we going far?”

He hummed in thought. “Maybe to Hawaii?”

You swatted him and he laughed.

“Okay, okay. I was just thinking of going to the movies tomorrow. Maybe have dinner at the new restaurant that opened next to Mr Steven’s. Is that too far for you?”

“Hmm… no,” you answered, a little smile on your face. “That’s too close but I’ll concede this time because you brought me bread.”

“Oh? You only like me for my bread, do you?” Eren asked, inching away to send you an amused look. You didn’t fight the impulse to kiss him.

“You’re an added benefit to fresh, good and _orgasmic_ bread,” you responded, voice dangerously low. You could practically see his pupils growing as his lips parted unconsciously. He let out a sinfully seductive chuckle while playful fingers slipped under your shirt and thumb the waist of your jeans. “Then again, I know just what is more amazing than your bread.”

“Oh yeah?” he breathed out. You saw his eyes flickering between your eyes and mouth so you did a little service of licking your lips and biting it. He inhaled sharply and you can feel him squirming against you.

“I’ll let you –” you began, sliding your fingers down his chest until you reach his belt and tugged it playfully. “– take a guess.”

“Shit, Levi,” he whispered weakly. “I was going to save this for after the date.”

“I can’t wait that long,” you replied, straddling his lap, fingers burying in his ponytail before tugging it loose. “Fuck me, Eren.”

\---

The fact that Eren’s immortal smacks you in the face on a Sunday morning. Your evening would be filled with a meeting with a client so you and Eren decided to spend the weekend at home. He was clad in a wife beater and shorts and you in your light cardigan, jeans and his apron. Eren was teaching you how to do some creamy strawberry crepes.

Teaching was a light way to put it but Eren’s basically cooking it while describing you the how-tos. Your job was mainly and seems to only be chopping strawberries. So, it was with a knife in your hand that you approached him with when he excitedly called for you to see how perfect the crepes were turning out to be.

His eyes left the pan for only a second but it caused the handle to slip out of his fingers. Trying to avoid the inevitable sprawling of the pan and its content, Eren’s arm swung away from the stove and right into your knife.

As if in slow motion, you saw the blood drip out of his arm and you clumsily let the knife clatter to the floor. It doesn’t do any more damage though.

You gasped and flailed for the first aid kit but a hand on your arm brought your attention back to your injured lover.

“It’s okay,” he said sheepishly, shifting to let you see the injury. You gasp again at the steam issuing from the wound as it closed itself. Drops of blood on the floor were also disappearing in a white acidic steam. “I heal really quickly.”

There was a sharp reply on your tongue but it doesn’t come out in light of your awe.

\---

Eren’s bangs were long enough to fall across his cheeks. It was long enough to be a nuisance but short enough that he can’t pull it back into a ponytail. At work, he’s had to wear a headband that he thinks looks silly on him but you think made him look sexy. You dropped by the bakery more often now and sometimes his workers teased you about gaining weight from all the bread you eat. Eren countered that no matter how big you get, he’d still make you bread for the rest of your life. You were positive you fell in love with him all over again.

Your recent works hadn’t needed you to be gone for long so somehow both of you fell into a routine of waking up together. Both of you weren’t sexually active because Eren’s work required a lot of energy on his part, both as a baker and a manager of his store. However, it was nice to be able to cuddle up together at nights.

It was in the middle of June that you noticed how many of his things were in your apartment. From the shirts in the washing machine to his backup toothbrush - that ended up making home in your bathroom - and even the novel he had been reading before bed that he left on your coffee table.

You picked up after his things and you wondered if you should put it together for him to easily find but a moment later you placed them back where you found them because they looked perfect where they were. It felt almost sinful to take them away. So you took pictures of those things, even the movie ticket that he had slipped under the cactus on your window sill.

When the clothes were ready to come out of the dryer, you count his things and felt silly over how elated you became when you found that his things made up half of the day’s laundry.

You had to sit down to let it sink in how much you were in love with Eren Yeager.

\---

Eren, for his part, was always more vocal about his love for you that sometimes you felt undeserving of his affections. Five years ago you would have thought this kind of behaviour was suffocating but with Eren it was painfully endearing. You wanted it more and more.

You tried to reciprocate it with your actions. You knew Eren understood that this was just the kind of guy you are, that you are expressive in your art and less in your speech. Like jigsaw pieces, Eren completes you. He becomes the strength to your weakness and it was a thrilling emotion to recognize how whole that made you feel.

To the harsh reality that is the world, you both are neighbours and close friends. You and Eren never needed to explain yourselves to others. You were a reserved person and your affections for Eren were only displayed in the privacy of your homes. Eren didn’t mind and he wasn’t the kind to hold your hand as you walked down the road anyway. The people who knew were the people who figured it out and asked you personally. You don’t publicize it but you don’t deny it.

Eren’s workers obviously were the batch of people who do know but the information to them was as important as knowing which pair of socks to wear on Monday mornings.

Your first trouble with it came in the form of an office girl crushing on Eren.

When you first saw her, she had exited from the bakery and into the mass of evening crowd on the street. Eren was unusually standing behind the counter as you entered his shop. The cashier sent you a smile and greeting that you reciprocated before you naturally gravitate towards Eren.

“Not needed in the back?” you asked him, glancing at the door that led to the kitchen. He gave a snort and glided towards the door flap to enter the shop area. Your way of welcoming his presence is shifting to his side.

“Had a customer wanted to personally meet me,” he explained, nodding towards the door. “It was just someone I helped yesterday when she got lost trying to find a bank. I mentioned my bakery so she came to thank me today.”

You nodded before asking him about his work. It wasn’t unusual that people came in to talk with Eren. It was often because of big orders and specific designs. You thought nothing of someone coming to personally thank him.

That night, while you were both getting ready for bed at his house, Eren’s phone lit up and the sound of your voice singing jingle bells rang from the nightstand. You had a long and strenuous battle of trying to delete that but he somehow always kept a backup of it that you just had to give up. It doesn’t make you feel as embarrassed as before but you still shifted awkwardly at it. He managed to catch it and smirked at you, making you throw your shirt at him as he reached for the phone.

“I love you too,” he said with a wink before answering it. You dug under the covers to hide your burning cheeks. You listened to his muffled voice speaking on the phone. “Hello, Eren speaking. Oh? You’re Anne from today? Can I help you with something?”

The image of the lady who left his bakery today popped in your mind. You peeked out from beneath the covers and saw Eren’s look of concentration as he spoke on the phone. He was nodding slowly and mumbling his replies. You can sense that he was confused and unsure. He glanced at you and you raised your eyebrows, shoulders squaring to show your attention.

“That is very nice of you but I’m sorry, I’ll have to decline. I’m rather busy this Saturday,” he replied. You remembered the date to the café outside town that he wanted to take you to. You’ve been eager about it as well because the spot was great for photos. “I’m not sure about Sunday as well. Is…um, can you tell me why you’d like to meet me outside work?”

You sat up at that. Eren had turned away from you now, looking unseeingly at the floor. He hummed into his phone but stayed silent as he let the caller talk.

“I see. Maybe we can reschedule for some other day. Sorry about that,” he told her. “Oh? Sure yeah. Haha I’ll bring mine too. Neat! Yeah, okay. Talk to you later. Bye.”

When he pushed the end call button on his phone, you were immediately by his side, eyes boring into his. He placed a light peck on your lips before pulling away with a small laugh.

“I know what you’re thinking and it’s not it,” he began, shifting to face you on the bed. “She just called and wanted me to help her find her way around here. She just moved in with her girlfriend so she doesn’t know this place. She even told me to bring someone. Since she’s bringing her girl, I’m gonna bring my guy. How about that?”

You thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. He leaned in to kiss you again, this time long and sweet. When you parted he was smiling contentedly, half-lidded eyes driving you crazy.

“Tell me when your next day off is and we’ll set a double date,” he whispered against your lips. Your answer to that was pulling him down by his neck and making out with him.

Next day off turned out to be the 4th of July and it found you and Eren driving to a nearby beer garden at noon. Between then and now, you had a chance to talk to Anne briefly when you caught her at Eren’s bakery. Eren hadn’t been able to meet her properly after that but from what the cashier urgently whispered to you, it seemed that she was persistent in her visits. You felt an unsettling feeling in your gut again but you brushed it off. Anne was already in a relationship so there was no way it was like anything your heart was whispering suspicion of.

Except it was because Eren had completely misunderstood the conversation over the phone.

It turned out that the girl Anne brought with her was a friend and they were both clearly not planning on going home on their own, if they were planning to go home at all. Anne apparently also thought that when Eren said “I’ll bring mine too” he had meant a friend and the realization that coloured Eren’s face was hilarious. You couldn’t laugh at it though, not when Anne’s friend is pulling on your wrist to walk with her; a cliché scene of playing wingman that made your stomach roll.

Eren looked ready to protest when you were pulled from his side but Anne was quick to try to engage him in conversation. He looked all sorts of troubled and you didn’t like this. You didn’t like the sight of a helpless Eren and the persistence of these ladies. So you stopped in your tracks and quite squarely told the friend that you weren’t interested in ‘checking out over there’ and that you’d like to return to Eren’s side.

She was giggly and excited when she told you about Anne’s crush on Eren and how much she hoped they’ll hit off. A slab of rock rolled down your gut and you immediately and forcefully excused yourself. Eren seemed to be in the process of extracting himself from Anne too when you pulled him away to his car. He hurriedly tossed an apology to Anne but got in the car with you and less than 5 minutes later you were on the road back to your apartment.

“She has a crush on you,” you bit out, harsher than you intended. You didn’t mean to sound like you blamed him. It wasn’t his fault that the girl liked him and it was really an honest mistake that he thought she meant girlfriend.

“Yeah, I just figured that out,” Eren replied to you sourly, making a sharp turn that jolted you roughly. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s not my fault I don’t call my guy friends as boy friends and thought that applied to girls too.”

“Ugh, I don’t – I didn’t mean to sound like I blamed you. Just –” your words failed you and you hid your face in your palms. Eren sighed but made sure his next turn was smoother.

“Whatever. Let’s forget that happened and get us some lunch or something,” Eren tried to ease the tension. “I’ll explain things to her later.”

Beer and snacks filled up your day as you both locked yourself up in Eren’s house. The incident at noon was quickly forgotten in favour of strip poker and trying and failing to make a sex video because Eren can’t stop laughing and blowing raspberries on your stomach. You both ended up watching television in your boxers – briefs in Eren’s case – while trying to throw nuts and small chips into each other’s mouth. When your half-dozen canned beers finished, you and Eren cuddled on the sofa, too lazy to go out and buy more.

“We are not drunk enough for 4th of July,” you muttered with a soft sigh.

“Mm-hm,” Eren agreed. “Did you want to try having sex while you’re wasted?”

You laughed rather loudly. “You get sleepy when you’re drunk. I think you’d actually only manage to stick it in before dozing off on me.”

“Hey now, I’m not that lightweight,” he protested with a pout. “I can handle my drink.”

“Not when you’ve had too much,” you replied, turning your body to face him. You like where this was going “Besides, I like that I can make you incoherent by myself.”

“Oh yeah?” he chuckled in a low voice. His hands rubbed your hips in circles before shallowly dipping into the cleft of your ass. “How about you show me how _drunk_ you can make me?”

“With pleasure,” you whispered into his mouth just before you sealed his lips with yours.

There was a bit of scrambling and shifting as you straddled him, not once breaking contact with his lips. You made sure to tug his hair out of his ponytail so that he can comfortably lie against the square pillow on the sofa. When you finally break away, he had such a dopey smile on his face. His hands roam on your back until it slipped under the waistband of your boxers and pulled it down slightly while he caressed your hips and thighs.

You shivered under his touch and arched your back, baring your neck. He suckled on the spot under your ear before working his way down. With a soft nudge on your hips, you move above him until he can finally latch on and lick one of your nipples. You gave a breathless groan before pulling away to take off your boxers, the band had been digging painfully into the base of your half-hard dick.

Eren licked his lips at the sight of your naked body and you rolled your hips while your hand slid from your chest to grab your cock and jerk it a few times. He let out a torturous and sexy groan at that. You preyed on his lips again, with tongue and teeth while your hands worked to relieve him of his briefs.

Suddenly you were both interrupted by the detestable jingle bells of Eren’s phone.

You got off him and let him reach into his discarded pants to grab his phone. Reading the name of the caller he groaned and slid the phone away. You saw that it was Anne and it made you frown.

“You should answer that,” you said bitterly. “You were going to explain to her.”

Eren groaned into his palms and let his head fall heavily on the pillow. “I really don’t feel like talking to her today.”

“We did leave her and her friend hanging. It’s only fair that she knows why,” you tried to reason. It wasn’t like you wanted Eren talk to her any more than he had already but it wasn’t completely her fault that she didn’t know Eren already had someone.

The phone had stopped blaring your rendition of jingle bells so Eren lets his hands slide from his face.

“Way to ruin the mood,” Eren muttered irritably.

“You can get in my pants after you call her,” you answered, picking up your clothes and moving to his bedroom.

“But Leviiiii,” he called out pathetically. “We have to watch fireworks together.”

“Better be fast about that call then. Fireworks start in an hour,” you yelled back, dumping your clothes on his bed and putting on your boxers. You heard him whine loudly as he scrambled for his phone. A heavy sigh left you and you sank on his bed tiredly. The air conditioning in his room was making your nipples stiff but you can’t be bothered to pull on your shirt.

You can hear Eren making the call and probably shuffling around to clear his living room while he’s at it. You don’t bother making sense of his conversation.

\---

When you told Eren that you’d be gone for three days on the next week, Eren was quick to tell you that he would love to follow you this time. He had hired a new guy at the bakery so that he can have more days off now, most likely hoping that his timetables matched yours. You’re flattered, you really are, but you knew that half the reason he wants to go with you so bad is because Anne’s a persistent girl and still visiting the bakery in hopes of talking to him.

You suppose it was okay to take him with you. He has never seen you in action except when you took pictures of his bread so it will be an interesting affair. If you were more honest with yourself, you’re pretty excited about it.

The location was pretty far, that’s why your trip this time would take long. Your first flight with Eren made you both realize that you’ve never gone on a proper holiday together. So the three hour flight was filled with planning your next fun-filled proper holiday trip. You wanted to go to Italy while Eren wanted to go to Germany so you both decide you’d also like to stop at France.

The three hours seemed to arrive only too fast.

\---

You’re completely beat.

It was a bigger event than you had expected and there was a teeny scuffle between you and the videography team that was also hired for the event. Eren was also a big distraction for you because you can’t seem to stop taking pictures of him among the crowds. You’ll have to really look through the pictures so that you can extract him from it.

It was only 7 in the evening but you would just love to snuggle under the covers and sleep the night away. You felt cool with a light sheen of water drying on your skin from the shower. Water running reminded you that Eren was also there and you can’t help but smile.

When you were prodded awake, you didn’t realize that you had slept. Eren is looking at you with an amused smile on his face. He leans down and peppers kisses from your forehead down the bridge of your nose and to your lips where he presses against you languidly, tongue joining your lazy dance.

You’re not in the mood to do some exercise in bed, especially after such a relaxing shower but this slow making out, you appreciated a lot. Eren lays down next to you, scooting close enough that he can pull you close and kiss you from your cheekbones to the dip of your neck.

“Eren,” you whined. “I’m too tired.”

“I know, I know,” he replied with a light chuckle. “You don’t have to do anything.”

You breathed out a small groan when he sucks on a patch of skin on your shoulder while his hand caresses your abdomen, swiping dangerously close to your crotch.

“It’s not always that we get to stay in a hotel together,” Eren continued after he was satisfied with the hickey he made. “And you looked so _hot_ doing your photo taking thing.”

You just have to snort at that. “Photo taking thing.”

Eren gave a small laugh. He had intentionally used those phrases to get a reaction out of you and you had given it, just as he wanted. He rewards you with a kiss. Playing with his rhythm, it wasn’t long before you have your hands gripping on his shoulders and he had both your cocks in his hand, pumping to your moans and gasps.

You were pretty sure you passed out after coming but when you woke up, you are in your boxers and him in his briefs with the sun streaming in from a small parting of the curtains. You lethargically reach for your phone that was charging on the bedside table. The numbers that blinked alive when you pressed your phone made you leap up with a shriek. Eren jumped, asking you where the invasion was but you didn’t have time to laugh at it.

“The plane is leaving in an hour!”

\---

If everything happens for a reason, this was why you both had missed the plane back to your place.

 After a lot of apologizing on Eren’s part – even though you had forgiven him after his first. After all it wasn’t his fault – he suggested that you both extend the trip for more personal reasons. While you’re sulking at the wasted plane tickets in your lap, Eren is booking a room at an inn. When he dangles the key in front of you, you remembered that this man in front of you was filthy rich – rich enough to not care about things like missing a plane and booking a room for a few more days.

His wealth often escapes your mind because Eren lives so modestly and keeps his lifestyle on the same level as you. His bakery was also going well enough that he probably wasn’t even touching the riches that he had accumulated in his past life. He only splurges when out on dates with you and most of the time you both split the bill. You like that and never want to change it because it makes you feel equal to him.

For now, you don’t mind him paying for your lodging and food because the reason you took this job so far away was because the pay was good and you’ll need it if you want to pay your bills and rent next month. Your work has quite the reputation that people would be willing to fly you over but your prices made it hard to get customers. This month was particularly rough on you too.

Your compliance with Eren’s idea was also partly because your next job is two weeks away so there is still time for you to spend with your boyfriend.

After dumping two days’ worth of luggage into your room, most of them laundry by now, Eren took you sightseeing. You spent your afternoon in the museum and after dinner, Eren caught a sign of a photography exhibition that had just started. It was quite far from the inn you were staying at so you make plans to drop by there tomorrow. At night, you and Eren slipped into a modest looking bar and sat at a corner with your glass of whisky and his tank of beer.

10 minutes in and Eren had to excuse himself for the toilet, leaving you with your empty drink. Pushing it away, you pull Eren’s to your side and take a sip. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a man approach your table.

You turned to look and you see that his expression is of wonder and happiness. That definitely made you sit on edge.

The man had to be at least over 40 and he had blond hair that fell into his eyes and a wrinkled shirt folded to his elbows on both arms. He had a strong jaw and deep blue eyes. His body was big enough to tower over you and his hands look like they can snap your neck but his entire stance and stride spoke of a businessman.

You were tense all over.

He stopped at your table and took in your guarded look. Nervousness seeped into his expression now.

“Sorry to disturb your evening,” he began slowly, not making any moves to get closer to you. He does offer you his hand which you hesitantly shook. “The name’s Erwin Smith.”

“Levi,” you answer curtly. He breaks into a smile and a relieved sigh.

“I’m glad you’re still Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview:
> 
> Your heart bumped against your chest like the first time you had seen him and your mind conjured a forest green cape fluttering in the wind with tousled brown hair and bright turquoise eyes seeking and searching for you. 
> 
>  
> 
> \----  
> That's the second part! Lots of domestic fluff happening in between. That's mostly things I wanted to write because I love fluff to bits. I also wanted to show more inside on how these two work over time. There's a reason for that! I'm very slow at writing so please be patient with me and if you like it or you think I can improve this story in some way, you're welcome to tell me!
> 
> I know I intended to have this as two parts but writing it out, even with the ending in mind, it just got longer @_@

**Author's Note:**

> :D


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